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Martin day to day with soreness in upper body

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BRADENTON, Fla. -- Russell Martin was scratched from Tuesday's lineup -- and he will remain on the sidelines on Wednesday -- with some "upper-body soreness," according to manager Clint Hurdle. Hurdle does not consider it serious.

That seemed apparent by the light-hearted way Hurdle discussed Martin's condition, which surfaced when he was spotted throwing the ball underhanded during a morning workout.

"It's upper body. It's hockey season, right?" said Hurdle, declining to specify the catcher's arm as the source of the discomfort. "Just upper body. Arm, ears -- that's all part of the upper body. Just a little soreness right now. He's been getting after it in a crazy fashion."

Martin, who attributed his removal from the lineup to "just the usual bumps and bruises," has made one Grapefruit League appearance, going 0-for-1 with a walk on Sunday against the Braves.

"It's the workload," Hurdle said of the cause of the soreness. "The amount of work he's been doing all over the joint, so we just want to slow him down a little bit. Sometimes you've got to help them help themselves."

Martin signed a two-year, $17 million contract as a free agent in November. He withdrew Sunday from participating in the World Baseball Classic with Team Canada, ostensibly over being unable to have his wish to play shortstop fulfilled.